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The first question you should ask is what size tank you will have. Can't really start thinking about fish until you have that part figured out. Is this going to be a 10 gallon tank on your desk, or a 240 gallon tank taking up half a wall in your living room?

South American would tear your plants up anyway as they love to dig. Rams, kribs or aposto's may be a good choice for you. We recently did a poll here and most of us have 7.6 pH. Same as I've had since I got into the hobby. As Brhino says......tank size???

I think you are over thinking your ph. Unless you buy wild caught fish, the fish you get will already be in the same ph as you have in your tap water.

It's fine to think what fish you want before you have the tank. Then you buy a tank big enough to house the fish you want.

If it's called tourist season why can't I shoot them?
Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes that reason is you are stupid and make bad decisions. I think my fish is adjusting well to the four gallon, He's laying on his side attempting to go to sleep on the bottom of the gravel.
A moderator on a fish forum should be able to identify an oscar... Don't you think?

I was given a very nice 24" bow front with stand (28 gallons?). Or I also have a little larger 3 foot tank that I could use as well. I will also have a 5 gallon sump to ensure the tank level doesn't drop when flooding the plants.

South American would tear your plants up anyway as they love to dig. Rams, kribs or aposto's may be a good choice for you. We recently did a poll here and most of us have 7.6 pH. Same as I've had since I got into the hobby. As Brhino says......tank size???

The fish will be in a nice display tank while the plants will be in seperate grow beds (acting as bio-filters) so I'm not worried about plants eaters or diggers. Algae eaters would be nice to keep tank maintenance down.

Does your pH poll data reflect a desired 7.6 or just where the systems end up without adjusting? Are most of the systems used stictly as bio-filters or are people trying to produce plant crops as well?

From other aquaponic reading I have heard that tilapia or other native fish in larger systems were kept at 6.8 to 7.2 as a compromise between the fish and the plants. I suppose this is because they want to sell or eat both the fish and the plants.

Most of us here are a lot more fish-focused than plant-focused, so we tend to worry about what the fish need first. I have a planted aquarium that fed by my normal pH 7.8 tap water. I have never worried about messing with my pH for either my fish or my plants. I've never looked up pH tolerance for a plant to see if it would be suitable for my tank, either. From my perspective, plants can handle a range of pHs, but as I say it's not something I've really looked into.

What is your primary goal with this setup? Are you circulating water between this 28 gallon tank and your plant grow beds? Are you doing this so fish waste will fertilize the plants, or are you just interested in having a display tank of fish?

Most of us here are a lot more fish-focused than plant-focused, so we tend to worry about what the fish need first. I have a planted aquarium that fed by my normal pH 7.8 tap water. I have never worried about messing with my pH for either my fish or my plants. I've never looked up pH tolerance for a plant to see if it would be suitable for my tank, either. From my perspective, plants can handle a range of pHs, but as I say it's not something I've really looked into.

What is your primary goal with this setup? Are you circulating water between this 28 gallon tank and your plant grow beds? Are you doing this so fish waste will fertilize the plants, or are you just interested in having a display tank of fish?

Primary goal is fertilization and watering of a few bonsai trees. Water will continuously circulate to sump from fish tank. Periodic pumping from sump to grow beds. Fish as an added bonus to my bonsai plants.